Autumn: A time to vote, and enjoy nature’s bounty

October is here. It’s a time to celebrate all that is good in our world. We see the leaves changing color and the flowers taking advantage of the cooler weather to send forth that last big blast of blossoms. We see the brightly colored campaign posters on the corners of the highways and people’s front yards. Although it’s easy to see them as a nuisance, they’re a nice reminder that in just a few weeks we’ll be able to make some important choices for our neighborhoods and our country. Most of the posters are the same color as our national flag. They seem to say, “You’re Americans — You get to decide.” What an amazing freedom!

I hope everyone takes advantage of the opportunity to vote this year because, it’s not just a privilege, it’s an obligation.

Another wonderful thing about autumn is that it is harvest time. The gardens we have been weeding and watering and tending all of these months are bursting with fruits and vegetables. The payoff is here. Even in the grocery store, the produce department takes on a new fragrance, a new pallet of color. It’s like nature is saying, “Here, this is for you. Enjoy!”

Even if we don’t have a garden in our back yard, a trip to the fair a couple of weeks ago was enough to inspire us all to admire the bounty.

What I love most about the fair is that it is a celebration of accomplishments. People can take fruits and pickles, bake and decorate cakes and cookies and put them on display for everyone to see. I don’t think it was possible to walk through that section with its ugly but yummy cakes and delicate pies without smiling at something.

I loved the art work on display — each brush stroke, each pencil mark an expression of the artist’s concept of the beautiful. The photographs were moments in time captured by people who obviously wanted them to last forever.

It was so easy to understand why. The animals were amazing. There were cows, pigs, sheep, rabbits and fowl. Each was taken to the fair grounds by someone who had invested time, money and nurturing — someone who considered their animal to be a champion. The children who raised some of them were champions in their own rite.

Now is the time for the harvest — a busy time but a rewarding time — a time to celebrate. A time to give thanks. Don’t wait until November for a national holiday to remind us to give thanks. Every day is a day to marvel at all we have.